Like a scene straight out of Family Guy... Peter: it's like that Video Camera Jesus had in that Christian Book Store bathroom... Cut To: Jesus sits at a desk looking at a video screen. Jesus: oh, you're a naughty one, aren't you...

so where I work, we currently have aetna. We used to have united health care. UHC sucked. I got nothing but horror stories from various docs I wanted to see when I mentioned UHC. They told me that UHC never paid their bills. So when my job switched to aetna, I wasn't exactly delighted but at least, from what I understood, paid their bills. So this week, I get the infamous message out of our HR dept. "we are switching plans". Sigh. To, guess who? UHC. :banghead: While driving home the ot...

Never did an ultra but hey, that's me. Have competed in my youth in international competitions against world class athletes, have run everything from a mile up to a marathon in competition and currently training for a half marathon in the masters division. We all share the road. We all started some place one time, we all were shufflers at one point or another. For the average person who never worked out or had ever run before, training then running in a marathon, then completing it, is an ac...

via image, information and sound overload, our ability for social relationships falls by the waste-side. How many little bizarre stories to you hear on the news regarding relationships; "he broke up with me on twitter, IM, email", these days? My wife's son is obsessed with texting. He thought us crazy when we told him he should be less accessible and to take a break from texting for a while. His response, "are you kidding? How will they know where I am?" "How will the know where I am". What...

The corporate sponsored protests, aka teabaggers, birthers, etc., are means to an end of less government in their affairs. Aside from wealth and the obvious control, what are the corporations end game? I believe so the can "buy up" a whole U.S. States. You may think I'm crazy, but this is what I see happening. Now that the supreme court is going to rule any day now that corporations can contribute to any political candidate just like a person, what keeps them from using their massive influ...

:tinfoilhat: (haven't done one of these in a while) I think I have figured out why the repukes are so insanely against a public option or any sort of change in health care. It also dovetails into their anti-union stance. It's so we can have a larger army to take over the world. What's that you say? What am I smoking? Did I eat some bad fish? Well, it's like this. As our premiums go up, as our co-pays go up, as our coverage goes down, what will be the state of health care in this nation if...

anything to get their excuse to start something. they scream and yell, throw tantrums, bring guns to speeches to intimidate, punch people, and bite off fingers, yet, we on the left are not playing into it. Not giving them the excuse they so desperately want. They want that reason to whip out their guns and go all rambo, they want to kill some "wimpy" liberals to prove how macho they are, but what they are are simply spoiled brats who don't like it when they don't get their way. And as adul...

The time for a "Woodstock" type happening during the present era came and past with morons* reign of terror. The one crucial element absent from the stew of insanity was the draft. If there was a draft during morons* reign of terror, there would have been a modern version of Woodstock like event. No draft; No outrage. No outrage; No movement. Don't get me wrong there was still plenty of really pissed off people, myself included, but as long as "someone" else's kid was getting blown to bit...

I think once these tools began questioning whether or not Hawaii is even a state, it passed from the already lunatic fringe straight into the Coast to Coast with George Norey midnight callers ranting about aliens eating their babies category. Now that the crazy as a shit house rat group of nuts are now screaming and yelling at the town halls about death panels, it seems the whole birther thing just doesn't have quite that much zing anymore. On a scale of insanity the death panel frothers see...

The level of insanity that has been encouraged by the republican leaders, radio hosts, pharma insurance corps in hopes of defeating the health care discussion, has it allowed the "fringy-est" of other wise big foot spotters to have a voice that is now considered sane by the right wing pundits. Or has it? I believe that even the republicans realize that these people are down right crazy. They are using these willful morons a means to an end. Merely willful tools controlled by imaginary fears. ...

Some advice: if you start a thread regarding the unrec function, be prepared for it to be massively unrec'd. If you whine why one of your own threads didn't just make us all squirm with delight, then be prepared to be unrec'd. If you come across with an attempt to sound reasonable regarding the unrecing of one of your posts, be prepared to be unrec'd. If you shout, "I'M BEING SILENCED", be prepared to be unrec'd. If you feign ignorance as to why your post was unrec'd, be prepared to be ...

Let's suppose there is a guy in your neighborhood. He appears normal, seems like a decent enough person. Is a good neighbor, lends you his tools, helps people in the neighborhood. This guy is not famous, didn't write any music, didn't star in a boy band back in the 60's and 70's, didn't moonwalk, doesn't know how to dance, and can't sing a key. Just your regular schlub. But then one day, you hear that this adult male, who is in his 30's, is found out to enjoy sleeping with little boys. Wha...

I mean, what stopped them from doing this when the kid was say, 444 pounds or 333 pounds or even 222 pounds? I find it odd that we punish people who beat their kids, berate their kids, lock kids in closets, tie them down, and even for spanking them, but we get all bent out of shape if someone allows their kid to grow to enormous proportions, as if they should get a free ride. Honestly, what gives? Don't you think that odd? Health is health is health. I grew up in a very abusive household, we...

At the end of the day, limpballs will be thrown under the bus. What you say? That's crazy talk!!! The right wing nut bags would never throw their lord and master of the universe under the train!!! Well, yes, they will. It might not be tomorrow, next week or next month, but I believe within a year, he will be rail meat. Why? If the repukes ever want to return from the political wilderness and return back to the land of viability, they have to do a few things and one of them is shedding 400...

Let's face it, no mater what reality is, the vote count is going be stated as being really close, they aren't going to give the real facts. If the reality is that Immadindehead actually came in third as rumored, do you honestly believe that the grand old poobah cleric will say, "Oops!! My bad, I called him the winner but actually he came in third! >facepalm< What was I thinking?". Hell no. That would drop his image to nothing and his power would vanish like a fart in the wind. Queue the ...

There seem to be two very distinct groups here on DU. Those of us who want the photos released and those who agree with the prez that this is not the time. Those who want them released don't care what the outcome is as long as the truth be told. The other side doesn't want them release because it will cause such a problem that it will derail all of Obama's plans. Personally, I believe they should be released. Why? because as crappy as the economy is and as full as Obama's plate also is, re...

There has been so much in the press over the last several years regarding the health of the citizens of America. We are fat, we eat poorly, we eat fast food, we eat this, we eat that, etc. We are looked upon due to various news cut aways of grossly over weight people as being the lazy ass nation of the world. They show video of people stuffing their faces with garbage food, bulbous children sucking down sodas with a meal or for breakfast, highlighting their holier than thou attitude that Ame...

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean still has time to shed her bigotry. “I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage,” Prejean said. “And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” So many people are raised on stupid. So many people like to just...

I took a flight this past weekend. American Airlines. Once upon a time back in the "smoking section" days (cough cough), even in coach, I would get a full meal and a movie. This past weekend, they now charge for a sandwich with a fancy name that basically boiled down to ham and cheese. Movies vanished a long time ago. This to me is only a metaphor as to how far down the economical/social hole we have fallen. Under the republicans: the cost of living had gone up, yet the wages in this nation...

she was blond and pretty so she deserved national attention. :sarcasm: now on the flip side we have an attractive blond guy who kills people, but because he is blond and attractive, there is just no possible way he could have killed someone, right? That's how it's being pushed in the msm. if you read the now many articles regarding this case, this guy, from the evidence the police have presented and what appears to be a good amount of footwork, this guy better have one hell of an alibi to get ...

who gives a damn? :rant: we live in a totally self absorbed society. I find that the few that twitter now are on the far end of the bell curve of self indulgence. what is so freaking important in their lives that I must know every single moment of their happenings? "I'm drinking a latte'", "I don't care for what so and so said", "is it important to really care about the children?" good. fucking. god. What has happen to us? do we now have so much free time that we don't know what to do wit...

So as we enter the spring then summer months, does the price of gas matter to you like it did last summer? We are living in a depressed economy and as a result, people drive less, so the demand for gas is down. But haven't you noticed that recently, the price of gas is creeping up? Why is that? There is actually a small glut right now. Nations are buying up the "cheap" oil and storing it for the future. I find that really funny but more on that later. The oil producers, the ones that actu...

they fall into a few categories. 1)those that live in the city and have this superior "moral" disdain for suburbs. 2)those that live in the suburbs and have this self loathing complex 2)those that don't even know what a suburb is and feel that they must slam it because everyone else does 4)those who lump all suburbs together and label them as evil 5)those who think all suburbs are ruled by the dictatorial powers of HOA's. 6)Lastly, those who think that anyone that lives in a suburb is, by associ...

And so here I am, yet another mile stone. Where did the time go? So many things ranted about, yelled about, CAP'D ABOUT, swore about, traded insults about...ahhh good times. :) With this mile stone, I can finally breath a little better. We are no longer under the thumb of stupidity*. Even though the economy is bleak, I have hope. Usually at a mile stone, I state that I'm not going to get all squishy and thank DU and the mods, blah, blah, blah, but not this time. DU, my friend, my compadr...

Last night, my wife and I got into a long discussion regarding the recession/depression. How did we get here? How long will it last? etc. But the thing that has been lurking in the back of my mind for a while now, especially since last summer when the price of oil/gas shot through the ceiling is: Suppose we do "recover" (kind of ambiguous these days), what are we going to recover to, exactly? The concept of a "recovery" hasn't really been defined nor has it been spelled out into simple terms....

There are those here on DU that think that once Obama gets in, all things will suddenly spring eternal. That just hope and promises of help will be the shot in the arm that the country needs to get back on it's feet and start running again. I don't. Having had parents that lived through the depression and a father that taught me that the government moves at a glacial pace, I am of the firm belief, that although Obama will do a lot of good, the good that he does will take time for it to go in...

frankly, I have always wondered if the "wisemen" visited anyone else that night. I mean, the Christ kid couldn't have been the only one born that night, right? So I figure, to cover their bases the "wisemen" hit up all the locals spots and midwives, just to make sure. the scene: house in better part of Bethlehem Dad paces out side of bedroom when three wisemen show up. Dad: Um, hello, can I help you? WM#1: oh hi, we were just passing through and thought, what the heck, lets see if there...

he is homeless because of 1)mental illness 2)enormous credit loss due to a loss of a home, loved one, job, accident, education 3) had to declare bankruptcy due to outrageous medical bills 3)a habitual drug user 4)alienated by society because he was different somehow or 5) all of the above or some of the above. We, society, fail this person and as a result, he commits a crime, he has to pay and we don't give it a second thought nor reflect upon the problem. It reminds me of the old song by th...

way back in the day, the blathering started as, "we may skirt a minor recession" to "we may have a very minor recession" to "we will have a very minor recession" to "we will have a recession" to "we will have a worse than first thought recession" to "we will have a heavy recession" to "we will have a very deep and hard recession". Along the way we were also treated to this, "no way there will be a depression" to "there is a very slight remote out of the universe chance of a depression" to "we ...

remember when moron* was going to his* swearing in, we the people egged his limo? How about we greet Obama with flowers? you know, how we were supposed to be greeted in Iraq? What an amazing contrast and statement that would make!